This patent discloses and claims a useful, novel, and unobvious invention for an automobile instrument panel, including an air bag device and a seamless outer cover.
One issue that has recently been a concern with air bag devices installed in automobiles is that the air bag must preserve the aesthetic appeal of the automobile, but at the same time, deploy outward through the instrument panel with minimal interference. In an instrument panel, the air bag must be able to break through the instrument panel, but the instrument panel itself must be structurally sound and resistant to inadvertent fracturing at or near the point where the air bag is meant to deploy. For this reason, there is a need in the industry for improvements to air bag doors in a foam-in-place instrument panel.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an instrument panel for an automobile passenger compartment comprises a substrate including an interior surface, an exterior surface, and an opening extending therethrough. Ribs that extend around the opening are molded into and extend from the interior surface adjacent to the opening. A door panel which is adapted to cover the opening, is pivotally connected to the exterior surface and includes an upstanding flange. Adhesive tape is affixed to the door panel and to portions of the exterior surface to secure the door panel in a closed position and to form a sealed engagement between a periphery of the door panel and the substrate.